WoW Pick of the Week [4]

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

White Lines by Jennifer Banash

Expected publication: April 4, 2013

Publisher: Patnam Juvenile

[Goodreads] A gritty, atmospheric coming of age tale set in 1980s New York City Seventeen-year-old Cat is living every teenager’s dream—she has her own apartment on the Lower East Side and at night she’s club kid royalty, guarding the velvet rope at some of the hottest clubs in the city. The night with its crazy, frenetic, high-inducing energy—the pulsing beat of the music, the radiant, joyful people and those seductive white lines that can ease all pain—is when Cat truly lives. But her daytime, when real life occurs, is more nightmare than dream. Having spent years suffering her mother’s emotional and physical abuse, and abandoned by her father, Cat is terrified and alone—unable to connect to anyone or anything. But when someone comes along who makes her want to truly live, she’ll need to summon the courage to confront her demons and take control of a life already spinning dangerously out of control.

First off love the cover. Secondly I've been wanting to read this since I first heard about it. I can't resist a coming of age story and this one sounds so amazing. I'm hoping to get this for blog review if not I'll have to wait til April...let's hope not. Don't think I can wait that long!

What's your WoW of the week? Please share.

Top Ten Tuesday [2] Favorite Kick Ass Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme from thebrokeandthebookish

I'm a little short on time so I'm giving ya my Top 6...

This weeks topic is... Favorite Kick Ass Heroines

[6] Hermione Granger [Harry Potter series]

[5] Jo March [Little Women]

[4] Lisbeth Salander [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]

[3] Gemma Doyle [Gemma Doyle series]

[2] Scout Finch [To Kill A Mockingbird]

[1] Katniss Everdeen [The Hunger Games series]

That's my top 6...I would love to hear yours...please share.

Review: The Air We Breathe by Christa Parrish

The Air We Breathe by Christa Parrish
Expected Publication: November 1, 2012
Format: Netgalley
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Molly Fisk does not go outside. She's ruled by anxiety and only feels safe in the tiny tourist-town museum she and her mother run and call home. Yearning to live free but unable to overcome deep wounds from her past, she stays hidden away. Then the chance arrival of a woman Molly knew six years ago changes everything.
Six years ago, newly single Claire Rodriguez was an empty shell. Only in the unique friendship she strikes up with a young girl--a silent girl who'll only talk to Claire--does she see the possibility of healing. But one day the girl and her mother vanish, their house abandoned. What happened that drove them away? And how can Claire now offer Molly the same chance at finding a life anew?
　

My Thoughts

The Air We Breathe is a story about Molly, her family, secrets and a woman named Claire. While I will admit in the beginning I was confused because the story is cut into chapters, different characters and goes back and forth in time. However once I realized what was going on it was easier to follow.
Molly is paralyzed by anxiety after a childhood tragedy that she never got over. When she a little girl she witnessed her father gunned down in a bank robbery and was kidnapped. She escaped but was so traumatized by the ordeal she shut down and refused to talk anyone. Then on a chance meeting with a random women named Claire on a playground both will help each other through recent tragedies. Both question was it fate or faith that brought them together or something more? After years of losing touch once again something has drawn them back together to help each one last time. I thought it was well written and touching story of fate and faith...two things I personally believe in.

In My Mailbox [4]

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren

Here's the stuff I got this week.

The following courtesy of Netgalley...

　

The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers
February 12, 2013
Atria Books

[Goodreads] From the author of the critically acclaimed The Murderer’s Daughters, a compelling novel about three women caught in the aftermath of infidelity.Five years ago Tia fell into obsessive love. The only problem—Nathan was married and the father of two boys. When she became pregnant, he disappeared, and she gave up her baby for adoption. Now, she’s trying to connect with her lost daughter and former lover.

　






Heart Like Mine by Amy Hatvany
March 19, 2013
Washington Square Press

[Goodreads] When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined.Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllisterstepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

　




The following ebook ARC courtsey of St. Martin's Press

Calling Me Home: A Novel by Julie Kilber
February 12, 2013
St. Martin's Press

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s Kentucky with an unlikely modern-day friendship.

　

The following I FINALLY bought...

　

That's my haul...what's yours? Please share.

Mini Review: Friendkeeping by Julie Klam

Friendkeeping: A Field Guide to the People You Love, Hate, and Can't Live Without
by Julie Klam
Expected Publication: October 25, 2012
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: Riverhead
Rating: 4/5


Synopsis
With her inimitable wit and disarming warmth, Julie Klam shares with us her experiences, advice, and insight in Friendkeeping, a candid, hilarious look at some of the most meaningful and enjoyable relationships in our lives: our friendships. Klam relays a mix of brand-new and time-tested wisdom—she finds that longtime friends really can grow up without growing apart; that communication is key; that friendship is one of life’s great, free sources of happiness; that you’re not a friend, just a doormat, if you don’t get back what you give—and her discoveries range from amusing to deeply important.
Charming, bracingly honest, and compulsively readable, Friendkeeping is an irresistible book, a treat that you’ll want to share with your best friends right away. Brimming with keen observations and laugh-out-loud moments, it’s delivered in the lively, accessible voice that Julie Klam’s readers have come to know and love.

My Thoughts

 I found this book light, heart-warming and funny. While reading it I totally agreed with some of things she said and felt. I connected with this because I find myself doing [or not] some of things she talks about doing towards her friends. I personally havent been the greatest friend at times either so I get what she was saying. This book is for anyone who wants to read a quick and funny outlook at one of life's greatest relationships...friendships. 

Review: In The After by Ashley Mackler- Paternostro

 In the After by Ashley Mackler-Paternostro

Published: October 16 2012

Publication: Self Published

Format: Ebook ARC provided by author

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

There is a reason fairy tales end when they do ... because happily ever after is just the beginning of real life. Once upon a time in the quaint, forgotten coastal town of Joyce, Washington Emmy Burns existed in the middle of an inconsequential life that resembled a small-town fairy tale; days filled with caring for her daughter Avery, running her small but thriving pottery store, married to the only man she had ever loved. But all of that changed when the fog rolled out one beautiful morning, leaving emptiness where Emmy had stood only the day before. She had seemingly and without a sound vanished into the thick misty air of the Pacific Northwest, taking with her a lifetime of secrets.
In the aftermath Stephen Burns is content telling the police his wife must have simply chosen to walk away from him and their daughter. But Sidney Ruth, Emmy's closest friend, knows the truth. Sidney is the one person who had watched as the vines grew around the dark forest that was the Burn's marriage trapping Emmy inside and keeping everyone who loved her out.
Years of abuse has to lead to this moment. As the days unfurl so do the secrets Emmy kept walled away, leaving the people of Joyce wondering: What really happened to Emmy Burns in her happily ever after?

My Thoughts

Amazing. Wonderful. Heartbroken. Emotional.

Those are just a few of the things I thought/felt while I read In The After. This book stirred so many emotions that words simply cannot explain. This is one of the most heartbreaking books I've read in a long time. Emily and Sidney have been friends since they were little and have vowed to always be there for one another. No matter what. So when Emmy goes missing Sidney sticks to that. Being there for her friend, Emmys voice and the keeper of her secrets. Letting everyone and anyone who would listen letting them know Emmy wouldn't just walk away from everything, especially her daughter. If she did there had to be reason... leading everyone to look at Emmys husband Stephen.

While I wont spoil the book I will say it's a very heartbreaking story that literally had me in tears, especially at the very end. When I was done I felt I had gone through an emotional roller coaster. I can say without a doubt that this is one of my favorite books this year and one of my all time favorites. I dare anyone to read this and not be emotional involved or moved to tears. It's that good people!

I would like to thank Ashley Mackler-Paternostro for allowing me a preview copy of her book. She's an awesome and amazing writer. Please also check out her debut book if you haven't The Milestone Tapes [review] another must read. I advise anyone who wants a GREAT read pick this book up, trust me you won't regret it.

WoW Pick of the Week [3]

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW)

is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

My WoW feature is:

Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman

Expected publication: January 15, 2013

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Synopsis
Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide. The first few hours following Nora’s devastating discovery pass for her in a blur of numbness and disbelief. Then, a disturbing awareness slowly settles in: Brendan left no note and gave no indication that he was contemplating taking his own life. Why would a rock-solid police officer with unwavering affection for his wife, job, and quaint hometown suddenly choose to end it all? Having spent a lifetime avoiding hard truths, Nora must now start facing them.
Unraveling her late husband’s final days, Nora searches for an explanation—but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan’s best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer. For beneath the soft cover of snow lies a powerful conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep its presence unknown . . . and its darkest secrets hidden.
How much do I want to read this? TONS!! First off I'm a sucker for a great cover and I love this one. Secondly this book just sounds so good. I'm not one for a thriller/mystery but I cant help myself in wanting to read this one. Recently got it at Netgalley so I cant wait to read it.
So what's your WoW of the week? Please share.

Top Ten Tuesday...Halloween Spirit

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme from the Brokeandbookish

This week's Top 10 Tuesday is... Books to Get You In The Halloween Spirit.

[10] Miss Peregrine's Home for Pecuilar Children - Ransom Riggs
[9] Rebeccca - Daphne Du Maurier
[8] Ten - Gretchen McNeil
[7] Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin
[6] The Amityville Horror - Jay Anson
[5] Psycho - Robert Bloch
[4] Dracula - Bram Stoker
[3] Rocky Horror Picture Show [movie]... ok its NOT a book but come on...it's not Halloween without it.

[2] Anything by Stephen King...hello he's the King of Horror!
[1] The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe...freaks me out just thinking about it!

That's my Top Ten...what's yours?

In My Mailbox [IMM] [3]

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren

 My cam decided to act funny today so I had to go with cover art instead of pictures. Here's what I got...

*Mailbox*

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell [2/26/13]



Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt [1/15/13]



Shadowlands by Kate Brian [1/8/13]


[Goodreads] Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

*NetGalley*

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan [11/12/12] 


[Goodreads] Cambridge student Serena Frome’s beauty and intelligence make her the ideal recruit for MI5. The year is 1972. The Cold War is far from over. England’s legendary intelligence agency is determined to manipulate the cultural conversation by funding writers whose politics align with those of the government. The operation is code named "Sweet Tooth. Ive loved Ian McEwan forever! One of my fave authors and I cant wait to read this.

So that's what I got this week...what did you get? Feel free to share or give some sugguestions I'm always wanting to find my next read.

Review: The Milestone Tapes by Ashley Mackler Paternostro

The Milestone Tapes by Ashley Mackler-Paternostro
Published: March 13, 2012

　
Synopsis
Jenna Chamberland never wanted anything more than to be a wife and mother. That is, until she realized that her life was ending after a three-year battle against breast cancer. Now, all she really wants is more time.
With 4,320 hours left to live, Jenna worries for her loved ones and what she knows awaits them on the other side: Gabe will have to make the slip from husband to widower, left alone to raise their seven-year-old daughter; Mia will be forced to cope with life without her mother. In a moment of reflection, Jenna decides to record a set of audiocassettes — The Milestone Tapes – leaving her voice behind as a legacy for her daughter.
Nine years later, Mia is a precocious sixteen-year-old and her life is changing all around, all she wants is her mother. Through the tapes, Jenna’s voice returns to teach Mia the magic of life, her words showing her daughter how to spread her wings and embrace the coming challenges with humor, grace and hope.

My Thoughts

I'd had this book in my Kindle for months. Got it one day while searching the free Kindle reads. I must admit I loved the cover way before I ever read the description of what the book was about. I tend to do that...yes I do tend to judge a book by it's cover. One day about two months ago I decided I would read this.
WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?!! The Milestone Tapes is a lovely and touching story of a mother dying of cancer and whose love for her daughter will stop at nothing for always being there for her...even when she's gone. The thought of making these "tapes" so that Mia will never forget her and guide her through life is so sad yet comforting. No book has moved me this much in years. Trust me I'm not the most emotional person on the planet so that says alot.
If you like check out The Milestone Tapes and In The After, the new book by Ashley Mackler Paternostro... you won't regret it. Both are amazing books so check them out and check out my review on In The After next week.

Throwback Thursday [2]

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books.

My Pick this week...



Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Published: May 1998
Publisher: Delacorte Press
[Goodreads] When Victoria Leonard answers the phone in her Manhattan office, Caitlin's voice catches her by surprise. Vix hasn't talked to her oldest friend in months. Caitlin's news takes her breath away--and Vix is transported back in time, back to the moment she and Caitlin Somers first met, back to the casual betrayals and whispered confessions of their long, complicated friendship, back to the magical island where two friends became summer sisters.

Caitlin dazzled Vix from the start, sweeping her into the heart of the unruly Somers family, into a world of privilege, adventure, and sexual daring. Vix's bond with her summer family forever reshapes her ties to her own, opening doors to opportunities she had never imagined--until the summer she falls passionately in love. Then, in one shattering moment on a moonswept Vineyard beach, everything changes, exposing a dark undercurrent in her extraordinary friendship with Caitlin that will haunt them through the years.

As their story carries us from Santa Fe to Martha's Vineyard, from New York to Venice, we come to know the men and women who shape their lives. And as we follow the two women on the paths they each choose, we wait for the inevitable reckoning to be made in the fine spaces between friendship and betrayal, between love and freedom.

Summer Sisters is a riveting exploration of the choices that define our lives, of friendship and love, of the families we are born into and those we struggle to create. For every woman who has ever had a friend too dangerous to forgive and too essential to forget, Summer Sisters will glue you to every page, reading and remembering.
　

Why I Love It...

It's Judy Blume! Seriously what female doesn't love Judy Blume? She's one of my favorite authors of all time...she just rocks in my book. This story is just a wonderful and moving read about two friends and their friendships through their lifetime. All the highs and lows and everything in between. For me it's just one of those reads that stays with you for a long time. One that makes me want to read it time and time again.

WoW Pick of the Week [2]

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:



Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Expected publication: March 5, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under. [Goodreads]
I'm so looking forward to reading this! There's nothing better than a story about young love and it's set in the 80's! Love it! It looks like a cute and fun read. Plus I'm super excited because I got my copy yesterday. So look out for a review to come.
So what's your WoW of the week? Please share.

IMM [In My Mailbox] [2]

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I'll post what books I've received either by mail/library/bought.

Mailbox

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini - I was so happy I got this! It was such a suprise so it made it that much more exciting. I can't wait to read and review this. Plus I LOVE the cover. [Thanks Simon Pulse]

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor/aka Christmas with Holly by Lisa Kleypas - This is part of her Friday Harbor series. I was lucky enough to receive a bunch of her books and plus it's Christmas theme...which is my FAVORITE holiday! It's also suppose to be a holiday tv movie so I'll be sure to look out for this. [Thanks St. Martin's Press]

　

Netgalley

The Air We Breathe - Christa Parrish - The concept [Goodreads] Seventeen-year-old Molly Fisk does not go outside. She's ruled by anxiety and only feels safe in the tiny tourist-town museum she and her mother run and call home. Yearning to live free but unable to overcome deep wounds from her past, she stays hidden away. This seems really interesting and I cant wait to dive into it.

　

Bought

What Happened to Sophie Wilder by Christopher R. Beha - I've been wanting to read this for awhile now and one day this past week it was the daily deal on Amazon so I couldn't refuse. Can't beat $1.99 right?

What did you get this week? Plus feel free to share or give some sugguestions I'm always wanting to find my next read.

Review: The Elementals by Lia Block

The Elementals by Francesca Lia Block
Expected Publication: October 16, 2012
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis
The Elementals is on one level an intriguing coming-of-age novel about a young woman, Ariel Silverman, facing the challenges of her first years away at college in Berkeley, California, while her mother battles cancer at home in Los Angeles. But the book takes on deeper, stranger meanings when we realize that Ariel is haunted by the disappearance of her best friend, Jeni, who vanished without a trace a few years before, closing Ariel's heart and changing her forever. Ariel wonders if she will ever be fully alive, until she meets three mysterious, beautiful and seductive young people living in a strange old house in the Berkeley hills. Through them Ariel will unravel the mystery of her best friend's disappearance and face a chilling choice.

My Thoughts

This book was a little different than what I'm usually use to. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad thing...at all. There are so many different twist and turns to this book how couldn't you get into it? There is so much more to this novel than Ariel searching for her lost best friend and her moms cancer.

There's a little magic, mystery, fantasy, mythology and fairy tales and everything else in between. Nothing is what it seems in this great novel. The rich and complex characters who defintely draw you. I love a novel that takes you down a certain path and then leads you somewhere totally different.

The Elementals will make you think and challenge what you think will or won't happen. Although this is the first novel I've read from the author it won't be the last.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books.

        My Pick this week...

Love is a Mixtape: Love and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield
Published: January 2, 2007
Publisher: Crown

Synopsis
Do you remember the song that was playing when you fell in love for the first time (Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are") or when you suffered your first breakup (Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer")? How about that song from the perfect summer at the beach (Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight")? Memories and music are inextricably linked -- which is why Sheffield's memoir struck such a chord with us.

Before becoming the acclaimed rock critic that he is today, Sheffield was a grad student in Charlottesville, Virginia. There, too, lived Renee, a fellow student with whom he began conversing about (what else?) a song. Before long, they were a pair, eating cheap food, renting an inexpensive apartment, devouring books, and sharing their mix tapes with each other. Marriage soon followed.

With his bond to Renee as the cornerstone, Sheffield's unique memoir (complete with playlists) is built upon the music that affected both of their lives. Tragically, Sheffield's life with Renee ended much too soon, though one can't help feeling that he will survive -- with the aid of his beloved music. And once readers finish this bittersweet book, they'll compare their own playlists with Sheffield's. Even now, we can almost hear the sound of computers whirring as the downloading begins.

Why I Love It...

HELLO!! It features my other love.... music! Enough said!
Honestly it's a lovely and wonderful story about love and loss. Anyone who grew up in the 80's know how much a mix tape means. The careful art of it all not just random songs slapped together meanlessly. It's all in the order of the songs. Not to mention the songs themselves. What they mean and how they are taken. What I also enjoyed were the lists of mixtapes he shared. As a music lover I went out and searched some of the songs I didn't know and in returned found some awesome finds.
While this story has a very personal tone the author balances it out wonderfully with music, pop references and laughter. All in all you can't helped to be moved by this awesome read.

WoW

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

In The After by Ashley Mackler-Paternostro
Expected publication: sometime late 2012



Synopsis
There is a reason fairy tales end when they do ... because happily ever after is just the beginning of real life.
Once upon a time in the quaint, forgotten coastal town of Joyce, Washington Emmy Burns existed in the middle of an inconsequential life that resembled a small-town fairy tale; days filled with caring for her daughter Avery, running her small but thriving pottery store, married to the only man she had ever loved. But all of that changed when the fog rolled out one beautiful morning, leaving emptiness where Emmy had stood only the day before. She had seemingly and without a sound vanished into the thick misty air of the Pacific Northwest, taking with her a lifetime of secrets.
In the aftermath Stephen Burns is content telling the police his wife must have simply chosen to walk away from him and their daughter. But Sidney Ruth, Emmy's closest friend, knows the truth. Sidney is the one person who had watched as the vines grew around the dark forest that was the Burn's marriage trapping Emmy inside and keeping everyone who loved her out.
Years of abuse has to lead to this moment. As the days unfurl so do the secrets Emmy kept walled away, leaving the people of Joyce wondering: What really happened to Emmy Burns in her happily ever after? [Goodreads]
　
Actually I was lucky to received a ebook ARC from the author a few weeks ago and I'm excited to dive into this. I've been a fan every since I read the authors first book The Milestone Tapes. If you haven't read it please check it out it's an awesome read. As soon as I read it I will post a review. I'm sure I will love this also.


*Goodreads says 10/16/12 but I couldn't confirm the date through Amazon or BN. So I went with the date given on the authors website

Review: American Ghost by Janis Owens

American Ghost by Janis Owens
Expected Publication: October 9, 2012
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: Scribner
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis
An engrossing novel inspired by a true event about unresolved family history and racial tensions that threaten a Florida community.

With American Ghost, Janis Owens offers an evocative southern novel continuing in the tradition originally established by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and brought into the new millennium by writers like Karen Russell and Kathryn Stockett. Inspired by Owens’s extensive research on a real lynching that occurred in the 1930s, American Ghost is a richly woven exploration of how the events of our past can haunt our present.

Jolie Hoyt is the daughter of a Pentecostal preacher living in small-town Florida. Disregarding her family’s closet full of secrets and distrust of outsiders, she throws caution to the wind when she falls in love with Sam Lense, a Jewish anthropology student from Miami in town to study the region. But their affair ends abruptly when Sam is discovered to have pried too deeply into the town’s dark racial past and he becomes the latest victim of violence. Years later, Sam and Jolie are brought together again, and as they resolve the mistakes of their early love, they finally shed light on the ugly history of Jolie’s hometown.

My Thoughts:

This book had me from the very beginning. Inspired by true events and family history while tackling race in the South, Janis Owens told a rich and complex story with such easy it's amazing. With all the twist and turns and layers for upon layers this book simply can't be denied.

Janis Owens is an amazing storyteller that you can't help but to be drawn into this remarkable story. Just when you think you have something figured out she suprises you with something totally different.

While this novel has a handful of colorful characters, the main one, Jolie Hoyt is the star. A very true Southern character without being overdone or a joke. I LOVE how Janis Owens has given us one of the most bold, real, and strongest character in books this year. All in all this book is one of my favorite reads this year. Truly brilliant. I cannot wait for what Janis Owens has in store for us next.

Mini Review: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Publication: June 26, 2012
Format: Hardcover [Bought]
Publisher: Random House
Rating: 5/5

　
Synopsis
Luminous, haunting, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles is a stunning fiction debut by a superb new writer, a story about coming of age during extraordinary times, about people going on with their lives in an era of profound uncertainty.
On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life—the fissures in her parents’ marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues.

With spare, graceful prose and the emotional wisdom of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker has created a singular narrator in Julia, a resilient and insightful young girl, and a moving portrait of family life set against the backdrop of an utterly altered world.

My Thoughts

The moment I heard about this book I knew I HAD to read it. Something about it made me very curious to see what the hype was all about. I'm not usually one to follow the hype when it comes to things. I don't think of myself as a follower but the when I heard good reviews from number of sources I had to see it for myself.
I loved this book! It's a wonderfully written coming of age story. The notion that no matter how slow or fast the world changes, basic human emotions always remain the same. Not only is Julia a girl coming into her own but has to deal with herself changing, her family and not to mention the world itself as she's only know it.
Karen Thompson Walker's novel not only lives up to everything that's been said but in my mind exceeds it. A must read!